In Guizhou province, Zhaoguodong cave, the oldest site among the Top 10 and dating from 12,000 to 45,000 years ago, offered key clues for studies of the early history of modern humans through discoveries of tools made of bones.

At the Mopancun site in Tumen, Jilin province, city ruins from the early 13th century－the newest site of the Top 10－was proved to be the capital of Dongxia, a regional state that once had great influence in Northeast China. There was less information about Dongxia than other states due to a lack of documentation. But unearthed artifacts written in Chinese characters showed a close connection between the state and Central China.

In Henan province, in the heart of Central China's plains, considered a civilization hub of ancient China, recent findings are providing a new understanding of the early years of its role nurturing the nation's culture.

The Shuanghuaishu site in Gongyi was found to contain the ruins of a huge city dating back 5,300 years, and showed many links with urban construction in later historical periods.

"Compared with other key ruins from roughly 5,000 years ago in the rest of China, sites in Henan, which was supposed to be a cultural core, surprisingly remained relevantly 'quiet' within this period," Li said.